Coronavirus: First Democratic primary election postponed due to outbreak

Louisiana moves election of Democratic nominee to June in effort to ward off outbreak and ensure turnout

Election officials in Louisiana have postponed the state's Democratic primary scheduled for 4 April amid fears of the coronavirus, marking the first US election to change course under the outbreak and setting a precedent for other states as voters prepare to head to the polls to select the nominee to face Donald Trump.

The state will hold the election on 20 June.

Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin said despite the state's resilience against hurricanes and other disasters, "the threat we face from the Covid-19 virus is an unprecedented threat and unlike any we have faced."

He pointed to Louisiana law provisions that provide for "extraordinary measures" in the event of a disaster. An emergency suspension or delay in elections an be called "due to the possibility of emergency" before or during regularly scheduled elections "to ensure maximum participation in the electoral process" and "minimise exposure to the danger" during a state of emergency.

Secretary Ardoin issued a recommendation to Governor John Bel Edwards to authorise the order.

The announcement arrives just days before four states hold their Democratic primaries on 17 March as Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders compete for the party's nomination.

On Tuesday, Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio are still scheduled to hold their elections.

There are more than 1,400 confirmed cases throughout the US, including at least 41 deaths. Louisiana has identified 33 cases of the flu-like respiratory illness in the state.

Democratic primaries: Who won where?

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Democratic primaries: Who won where?

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• 1/18 Alabama: Biden wins 

   

  Joe Biden: 41 delegates

  Bernie Sanders: 7 delegates

  Michael Bloomberg: 1 delegate

   

  Reuters

• 2/18 Arkansas: Biden wins 

   

  Joe Biden: 17 delegates

  Bernie Sanders: 9 delegates

  Michael Bloomberg: 5 delegates

   

  AFP/Getty

• 3/18 California: Sanders wins 

   

  Bernie Sanders: 179 delegates

  Joe Biden: 127 delegates

  Michael Bloomberg: 15 delegates

  Elizabeth Warren: 5 delegates

   

  AP

• 4/18 Colorado: Sanders wins 

   

  Bernie Sanders: 20 delegates

  Joe Biden: 9 delegates

  Michael Bloomberg: 9 delegates

  Elizabeth Warren: 1 delegate

   

  AFP/Getty

• 5/18 Iowa: Buttigieg wins 

   

  Pete Buttigieg: 14 delegates

  Bernie Sanders: 12 delegates

  Elizabeth Warren: 8 delegates

  Joe Biden: 6 delegates

  Amy Klobuchar: 1 delegates

   

  Reuters

• 6/18 Maine: Biden wins 

   

  Joe Biden: 11 delegates

  Bernie Sanders: 9 delegates

  Elizabeth Warren: 4 delegates

   

  AFP/Getty

• 7/18 Massachussetts: Biden wins 

   

  Joe Biden: 37 delegates

  Bernie Sanders: 29 delegates

  Elizabeth Warren: 25 delegates

   

  AP

• 8/18 Minnesota: Biden wins 

   

  Joe Biden: 38 delegates

  Bernie Sanders: 27 delegates

  Elizabeth Warren: 10 delegates

   

  Reuters

• 9/18 Nevada: Sanders wins 

   

  Bernie Sanders: 24 delegates

  Joe Biden: 9 delegates

   

  Reuters

• 10/18 New Hampshire: Sanders/Buttigieg tie 

   

  Bernie Sanders: 9 delegates

  Pete Buttigieg: 9 delegates

  Amy Klobuchar: 6 delegates

   

  EPA

• 11/18 North Carolina: Biden wins 

   

  Joe Biden: 66 delegates

  Bernie Sanders: 36 delegates

  Elizabeth Warren: 2 delegates

  Michael Bloomberg: 2 delegates

   

  AFP/Getty

• 12/18 Oklahoma: Biden wins 

   

  Joe Biden: 21 delegates

  Bernie Sanders: 13 delegates

  Michael Bloomberg: 2 delegates

  Elizabeth Warren: 1 delegate

   

  Reuters

• 13/18 South Carolina: Biden wins 

   

  Joe Biden: 39 delegates

  Bernie Sanders: 15 delegates

   

  Getty

• 14/18 Tennessee: Biden wins 

   

  Joe Biden: 33 delegates

  Bernie Sanders: 18 delegates

  Michael Bloomberg: 10 delegates

  Elizabeth Warren: 1 delegate

   

  Reuters

• 15/18 Texas: Biden wins 

   

  Joe Biden: 111 delegates

  Bernie Sanders: 102 delegates

  Michael Bloomberg: 10 delegates

  Elizabeth Warren: 5 delegates

   

  Reuters

• 16/18 Utah: Sanders wins 

   

  Bernie Sanders: 12 delegates

  Joe Biden: 2 delegate

  Michael Bloomberg: 2 delegates

   

  AFP/Getty

• 17/18 Vermont: Sanders wins 

   

  Bernie Sanders: 11 delegates

  Joe Biden: 5 delegates

   

  AP

• 18/18 Virginia: Biden wins 

   

  Joe Biden: 66 delegates

  Bernie Sanders: 31 delegates

  Elizabeth Warren: 2 delegates

   

  AFP/Getty

 

 

Louisiana's municipal elections set for 9 May have also been postponed. They will be held on 25 July.

The state has 3 million registered voters, including more than 1.2 million Democratic voters, the state's largest party-affiliated electorate. Its presidential primary elections are closed, meaning only people registered with their party can vote in respective primaries.

Roughly half of the state's electorate is age 65 and older, and 32 of the state's polling locations are inside senior centres, prompting officials to postpone the election amid fears of the outbreak among vulnerable populations.